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Poole: Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis airs frustrations

By Monte Poole Bay Area News Group

Posted:
12/01/2012 01:11:37 PM PST

Updated:
12/01/2012 10:13:56 PM PST

Click photo to enlarge

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis stands on the field before his team plays the Dallas Cowboys during their preseason game at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, Aug. 13, 2012. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Staff)

Mark Davis entered the season hoping to blend into the background as the Raiders embarked on a new era that would be starkly different from that which operated under his father, the team's autocratic former owner Al Davis.

But with lopsided losses stacking up, Mark is unable to sit still and remain silent. In his first full season as owner, he's speaking out, lashing out. He is venting.

He did so in the Oakland locker room two weeks ago, addressing the media -- and, by extension, the fan base -- after a 38-17 home loss to New Orleans.

He did again last Sunday, during the 4﻿1/2-hour flight from Cincinnati to Oakland after a 34-10 loss to the Bengals. And this time he went straight to coach Dennis Allen.

The first conversation of note between the two men since the season began was described as "passionate'' but not confrontational and "spirited,'' but not heated.

"He just wanted (Allen) to know, from the owner, that we have to get better,'' was the way general manager Reggie McKenzie described it.

"I wouldn't say it was heated; the most heated I got was when we first got on the plane and I told him it's not good enough,'' Davis said. "And that's what I said. I told him not long after we boarded: 'It's not good enough.' I admit I was pissed off.''

Allen acknowledged the conversation was pointed. He also understood.

"He's frustrated,'' the coach said. "He wants to win; we all do. He's frustrated and he expresses his frustration. So he and I had a long sit-down on the plane and talked about it.''

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Davis, born shortly before his father came to the franchise in 1963, is nobody's football expert. He knows it. He is, however, a fierce guardian of the Raiders brand. His earliest memories are of this team, reveling in tremendous highs and the enduring embarrassing lows. He has sniffed the champagne of championships and wallowed in the despair a 14-loss season. Mark is not obsessed with the franchise, but it's in his blood.

That might explain why it's harder for him to keep quiet than he imagined, certainly with the arc of this season. Who could have visualized the Raiders would spiral so rapidly and sharply, and with barely a rumor of pluck? They entered November 3-4 and exited the month at 3-8, with each of the final three defeats by at least three touchdowns.

"Last year at this time we were 7-4 and (ahead) in the division,'' Davis said, his exasperation evident. "Then we lost four out of our last five. And that's why I didn't fight for (former head coach) Hue Jackson to keep his job.

"Well, we have five games to go. Who on this team wants me to fight for them to keep their job? Who among the players and coaches really wants to be here? Who wants me to fight to keep them here?''

Davis reiterated that he does not intend to operate as his father did, through fear and intimidation, with demeaning and often boisterous critiques. Nor would he call plays or design schemes or interfere in game plans. He recoils at the thought of talking inside football, as Al Davis routinely did.

He will, however, ask questions -- often those that would come from any other fan.

"He was asking questions and Dennis was trying to answer them,'' McKenzie recalled. "Actually, it was good because this was the first time they've really talked for any period of time after a game.

Davis said he was warmed by the conversation, largely because he caught a glimpse of Allen's intensity, something the coach has made an effort to conceal. Like many fans and some of the journalists who follow the team, Davis has been examining his coach for signs of disgust or intolerance for ineptitude.

"Honestly, I was happy to see some of that passion coming out of him,'' Davis said. "Frankly, I didn't know if it was there.''

Mark is well aware that Al Davis was criticized, especially in recent years, for running the organization as he did, without an actual organizational chart but the only true authority in the building coming from the owner's chair. The Raiders were unique because Al was unique and had experienced success being unique. He wouldn't have it any other way.

McKenzie, as a former Raiders linebacker, knows what it was like under Al Davis. He remembers that some of those flights back to Los Angeles, especially after galling defeats, were extended tongue-lashings from the boss. This owner-coach discussion, McKenzie insists, was not that at all.

"He told me, 'Reg, I want this to be your deal.' And I told him ... he knows my philosophy. ... He knows I'm not looking to fire anybody during the season -- unless they do something crazy.

"I'm not surprised that he said the things he said when we were coming home,'' McKenzie added. "We talk like that all the time.''

Davis said he remains committed to maintaining clean lines of communication and authority. He will continue to work with McKenzie -- the two speak four to five days a week -- while McKenzie deals directly with Allen, as Allen operates through his assistants, with input from the G.M.

Yet Davis acknowledged he was pleased to see Allen take the action Friday of suspending wayward and ineffective linebacker Rolando McClain for at least the next two games.

Frustrations clearly are high throughout Raider Nation. Four-game losing streaks are death on peace of mind. They also punch holes in loyalty; the game against Cleveland on Sunday at the Coliseum will be blacked out, Oakland's first since 2010.

Yet there was no mistaking the message delivered by Davis. No one heard it clearer than Allen.